The Littlest Candlesticks

On the heels of The Littlest Pair's winning the 2002 National Jewish Book Award in the picture-book category comes The Littlest Candlesticks, another title in the Littlest series by Sylvia Rouss, illus. by Holly Hannon. Couplets describe a girl's wish for her own Sabbath candlesticks, like her mother and her older sisters ("" `Abby, just wait 'til you're a little older./ You'll have candlesticks,' her mother gently told her""). Abby's patience pays off the next week in preschool (her class is girls only, with all of them in modest dresses), when each girl receives a pair of ""see-through glass"" candlesticks to paint. Hannon compensates for uneven draftsmanship with radiantly colored compositions that almost shine with Abby's family's warmth. (Sept.)